Machine for cleaning cans.



No. 885,849. PATBNTED APR. 28, 1908.

J. M- G. JUNES- I MACHINE FOR CLEANING CANS.

APPLIOATION TILED NOV.11.1907.

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wammubm No. 885,849. PATENTED APR.28, 1908. J. M. c. JONES.

- MACHINE FOR CLEANING CANS.

APPLICATION rum) NOV .11.1907.

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i g {1! i I PATBNTED APR. 28, 1908. J M c. JONES MACHINE FOR CLEANING CANS.

APPLIOATIO! PILEDIOV. 11. 190'].

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No. 885,849. PATENTED APR. 28, 1908.

J. M. c. JONES.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING CANS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 11.1907.

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PATENTED APR-28, 1908.

' J. M. U. JONES.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING OANS..

APPLICATION I'ILBD NOV.11.1907.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

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No. 885,849. j PATENTED APR. 28, 1908.

v J. M. c. JONES.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING GANS.,

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11.1907.'

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6. Y

III] H E WI" JOHN M. c. JONES or GIBSON CITY, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING CANS.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A ril as, 1908.

Application fi led November 11, 1907. Serial No. 461,752.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JO 1IN M. U. JONES, a citizen of the United States residing at Gibson City, in the county of Ford, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in M achmes for Cleaning Cans of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawmgs.

This invention relates to improvements in machinery for cleaning the interiorof cans preparatory to filling the cans with articles of food or other material, and has for its object to provide means for forcing into the can a stream of water and continuing such stream for a long enough period to insure the removal of practically all foreign matter that may be contained therein, and thereafter subjecting the can to the action of steam for a period long enough 'to insure the can emerg-' ing from the machine thoroughly cleaned and sterilized and ready to receive food material or'other articles that must be packed in clean receptacles.

It is further an object of my invention to have these operations performed automatically and while the can is moving through the machine, and to so construct the machine that one or more cans will be acted upon by'the water while other cans" that have passed through the washing process are being subjected to the action ofsteam.

I accomplish these objects by the devices and combinations of devices illustrated in the'drawings and hereinafter specifically described.

That which I believe to be new will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine; Fig.2 is a I similar view taken from the op osite side of cans; Fig. 7 is anenlarged detail, being a cross-section taken at line 7-7 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a detail, being a cross-section taken at line 88 of Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is a detail, being a cross-section taken at line 9-9 of Fig. 3; and Fig. .10 is a detail, being a perspective 1 rovided with a hu view of the switch that deflects the cleaned cans from the can guide to the discharge chute.

Referring to the several figures f the drawings, in'which correspondm parts are indicated by like reference numera s, 1 1 indicates the supporting legs of the machine, upon which is supported a bed-plate 12, said bed-plate being, as clearl shown in 4, somewhat inclined in or er that the water used in cleaning the cans may readily run oil. At the lowest point in the bed-plate, is secured a drainipe 13 to carry away the wash-water. 1e edge of the bed-plate is turned up to form a vertical flange, in the constructiomshown.

14 indicates a vertically-disposed shaft, the lower end of which is stepped in a suitable bearing 15, which is secured to a crossbar 16 that inturn-is secured to the supporting legs 11. This shaft 14 has a bearing in a long sleeve 17'that, in the construction shown, is formed integral with the inclined bed-plate 12. v I

18 indicates a steam chest, cylindrical in shape, that is keyed or otherwise firmly secured to the upper end of the vertical shaft 14 so as to turn with said shaft.

19 indicates a cover fitting over the upper end of the steam chest 18 and, in the construction shown, is secured in place by bolts 20 passing through such cover and also through a'wide horizontal flange formed at the upper end of said steam chest.

21 ,indicatesa hollo valve fitted within the steam chest 18. This valve, as best shown in Figs. 5 and 6, has its outer wall ofa shape to correspond with the shape of the cylin rical steam chest, but is not wholl cylindrical, as there is a segmental-shaped chamber in the valve itself being adapted to contain water.

space indlcated by 22, always left in the steani chest that .is adapted to contain'steam, the

. At its central portion,or, to be more exact, what would be its central portion if the valve were wholly c lindrical,-'the valve is g portion 23, in which is ored a short passage 24 closed at its inner end and at its outer endcommunicating with the interior of the steam chest.

25 indicates a ipe the lower end of which is secured in the ub portion 23 of the valve so-- th'at.said pipe communicates with the cross passage 24, as best shown in Fig. 4. 26 indicates another and larger pipe surroundmg the steam-pipe 25, thisv larger pipe passlng down through an opening in the cover 19 of the steam chest and being secured in the upper wall of the steam chest. This pipe 26 also passes through a smiling box 27 secured on the cover 19. The pipe 26 is adapted to convey water to the interior of the hollow valve 21. It will be understood that the steam pipe 25 and water-pipe 26 will be con-. neeted at their outer ends to suitable sources of supply for the steam and water respectively.

.28 indicates a curved arm, secured in any suitable manner at its lower end to the bedlate of the machine and at its upper end act- 1ng to suitably support the water-pipe 26.

29 indicates a series of short pipes located at e ual distances apart and extending radially om the rotatable steam chest 18, and

each provided, on its outer end, with an upturned nipple 30. The inner end of each of these 1Epipes 29 is inserted and securely held in one o of these openings 31 communicating, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, with the interior of said steam chest. Through these openings 31, pipes 29, and nipples 30,. water and steam are successively forced, as hereinafter explained.

32 and 33 are the upper and lower members, respectively, of a guide for the cans to be operated upon, each guide consisting, in the constuction shown, of an angleiron, and the guide, as a whole, being annular in sha e. The two members of the can guide are held in proper relation to each other by stri s 34, some of which may, as best-shown in 1, be turned and secured at their outer ends to the bed-plate of the machine. The strips, as

shown, are slotted so as to permit the upper equally distant from each other and are for the purpose of advancing the cans through the machine, as hereinafter explained.

37 indicates a series of adjustable blocks secured on and projecting from the annular plate 35, one of such blocks being provided 1n advance of each arm 36 and located so as to-come directly opposite the cans engaged by such arms. These blocks are adjustable by reason of being slotted, as shown clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, through which slots pass bolts to secure them in any desired position. They are made adjustable to accommodate themselves to cans of different diameters.

a series of o enings 31 in the bottom plate of the rotata le steam chest 18, each the lower member 33 does so extend and re- 7 ceives upon it the end of a can inserted through such ring or collar. The ring or collar is supported upon one of the strips 34 before mentioned. As best shown in Fig. 9 (see also Figs. 1 and 3), the lower member 33 of the can guide is raised at that )oint where it comes beneath the ringer co ar 38, this raised portion being indicated by 38, it being elevated so that it IS slightly higher than the upturned ends of the discharge nipples 30. This is to prevent the side of the can being engaged by such u )turned nipples as the pipes 29 rotate wit 1 the steam chest 18. Again it will be noted that at the points marked 39 (see Figs. 2 and 5) the can guide member 33 is again raised, and this is for the pur ose of raising them out of engagement wit 1 the upturned nip )les 30 that they have been engaged with whi e passing through the machine. The raised portion 39 is made in the can guide at a point near the discharge end of the machine.

40 indicates the discharge chute secured to and projecting both above and below the bed plate of the machine. Formed inte ral with 1t, in the construction shown, is a wall 41, the inner end of which is bolted to the upturned flange of the angle iron lower member 33 of the can uide.

42 indicates a switch suitably secured to one of the side walls of the upper portion of the chute 40, said switch consisting, in the construction shown, of two curved fingers (see Fig. 10) which extend inwardly and against which the cleaned cans come as they are raised from the nipples 30 by passing up the inclined portion 39 of the can guide. The switch 42 deflects the moving cans toward the chute 40. It will be noted that the chute 40 has that one of its walls that lies in the path of the cans moving toward it cut away (see Fig. 8) so as to leave but a small ledge 43, against which the cans are moved;

.its lower end in a suitable bearing in a bracket 44, This rotating device, in the construction shown, consists of .two cross arms 45 which successively engage the bans and move them forward. The shaft 44,011

which these arms 45 are secured, has secured upon it a bevel gear 46 which meshes with another bevel ear 47 fast on the end of a shaft 48, such s iaft being driven through the meshing of another bevel gear 49 upon its inner end with a large bevel gear 50 secured upon the vertical shaft 14. The bevel gear 50 meshes with another bevel gear 5] fast on the end of the main drive shaft 52, on which is mounted a drivin pulley 53. ,l I

In operation, wit 1 the parts assembled as shown, the steam chest 18-will be rotated at a constant speed, carrying with it, of course, the radially-dis osed pipes 29 and the other parts affixed t ereto. The valve insaid steam chest, and the steam and water pipes 25 and 26 will remain stationary. While the machine is in motion, the operator will suecessively drop cans through the ring or collar 38, the upper ends of the cans'being fed in downward, and with the usual'opening therein left 0' en or uncapped. he can thus" fed in will all upon the raised portion 38 and will therefore not be liable to have one of the. upturned nipples come in contact with itand move it. The can thus dropped will not be moved until one of thearms 36 is brought against it, Such arm 36, coming in contact with. it, will move .it' along so that it wi ll pass down' from'the raised portion of the lower member 33 of the can guide onto the horizontal portion of such member. As it comes down to such horizontal portion, the up- .turned pipples 30 of the pipe that is immediately 1n front of the arm that is engagin (T the can will enter the opening in the end of the can. 1

By reference to Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that the valve 21 has in its base a series of o enings communicating with the interiorof tie valve and which are adapted to be brought successively into communication with the openings 31 in the base of the steam chest. It will also be noted that there is uite a wide portionof the' base of the valvet rat is blank or unprovided with any open- Now at the time that the can is first laced in the machine as described, there wi be, in the construction shown,.two or ossibly three-of the pipes 29 that are cut oil from communication with the interior of the valve, or the interior of the steam chest, such cutting off being by reason of the steam chest rotating so as to bring said blank portion of the valve over the openings 31 inwhich those particular two or three pipes are secured. Imme- )articularly.

diately, however, upon a can descendin from the raised part 38 onto the horizonta portion of the guide 33, the pipe 29 whose nipple 30 projects within the can will have been moved past'the blank portion. of the valve and brought into'communication with the interior of the valve. This will be .'learl umlcrstood by referring to Fig. 5 As soon as such pipe is so rought into communication with the interior of the valve, water, which is being forced through the pi e 26 into the valve,

-will pass through suci 1pipe 29 and be discharged with considerab e force into the can. with which such pipe communicates. This discharge of water into that can will, in the. construction shown, he in the form of a series of jets or of brief discharges as the openings in the bottom of the valve are successively passed, and will continue until the steam chest has rotated sufliciently to bring the nipple of that pipe out of communication with the interior of the valve and into communication with the space or chamber 22 in the steam chest. This space or chamber 22 is kept constantly filled with steam that passes downv through the pipe 25 and through the lateral passage 20, and the re.- sult will be to force through the same ipc 29 a quantity of steam into the can. l 1e flow of steam will continue until that pipe 2%) is rotated to bring its particular opening 3i in the base of the steam chest-under the blank space in the valve. Immediately upon assing under that blank space, the supp y of steam is of course shut off, and this occurs just ast-he can is about to ascend the inclined or raised portion 39. Instead. of the series of openings inthe bottom of the valve there may of course be .provided a single opening in the form of a long curved slot, and, in such event, instead of a succession of jets or brief dischargesof water as in the construction shown, there wouldbe a constant stream discharged through each pipe during the time that the pipe was in communication with such elongated. opening. As before stated, the eil'ect of the can passing up this raised or inc-linei-l portion 3!) is to lift it sufficiently to disengage it entirely from the nipple 30.

Upon being'so raised and disengaged, the can 18 pushed forward and comes in contact with the switch 42 against which with its 0 en end up, as before explained. .It Wlll e understood that the machine is to be kept constantly filled with cans, and

that, while some-of the cans are being subjected to the action of streams of water, other cans'which have just. been so treated will have been moved so as to receive steam from the steam chest. As a result of the cleansing by both water and steam, the cans will emerge from the machine effectually washed, and sterilized, and. ready for use.

What I claim as my invention and desire .to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a can cleanlng machine, the com' bination with a stationary can support and means for moving a can thereon, of a pipe adapted to discharge into said can, means for successively forcing different cleaning fluids through said pipe into the can, and means for moving the can away from the pipe near the end of the movement of the can on said support.

.2. In a can. cleaning machine, the combination with a stationary can su port and means for moving a can thereon, o' a traveling pipe adapted to discharge into said can, means for successively forcing different cleaning fluids through said pipe into the can, and means for moving the can away from the pipe near the end of the movement of the can on said support.

3. In a can cleaning machine, the combination with a rotating member, and a pipe projecting therefrom and rotating therewith, of a guide upon-which a can is adapted to travel, means for moving said can on said guide, and means for successively Forcing water and steam through said pipe into said can.

4. In a can-cleaning machine, the combination with a stationary can support and means for moving a can thereon, of a pipe adapted to discharge into said can, and

means for successively forcing different cleaning fluids through said pipe into the can while said can is being moved, said can support having a raised portion near one end adapted when the can passes over it to move the can away from said pipe.

5. In a can cleaning machine, the combination with a rotatable chest and means for rotating the same, of a hollow valve in said chest, means for supplying steam and water to said chest and valve respectively, a pipe communicating with and projecting from said chest and adapted upon the rotation of said chest to be successively supplied with water and steam from said valve and chest respectively, an annular guide surrounding said chest and pipe, and means for movably retaining a can on said guide in communication with said pipe so that it will receive the water and steam that successively issue from said ipe.

6. In a can ceaning machine, the combination with'a rotatable chest and means for rotating the same, of a hollow valve in said-chest. means for supplying steam and tion of said chest to be successively suppliedwith water and steam from said valve and chest respectively, an annular guide surrounding said chest and pipe, means for,

movably retaining a can on said guide in communication with said pipe so that it will receive the water and steam that successively issue from said pipe, and means for moving the can away from said pipe and other means for shutting off the flow of fluid through said pi e.

7. In a can-cIeaning machine, the combination with a rotatable chest and means for rotating the SQJDG Of a hollow valve in said chest, two pipes arranged one within the other, one of said pipes communicating with the chest and the other with the valve, another, pipe communicatin with and projecting from said chest and adapted u on the rotation of the chest to be successive y supplied with water and steam from said valve and chest, respectively, and means for movably retaining a can in position to receive the water and steam that successively issue from said last-named pipe.

8. In a can-cleaning machine, the combination with a rotatable chest and means for rotating the same, of a hollow valve in said 'chest, said valve having a passage through it leading into said chest, a pipe extending through the chest and secured-to the valve and adapted to deliver a fluid through said passage into the chest, a second pipe communicating with the interior of the valve and adapted to' deliver a fluid to the valve only, a third pipe communicating with and projecting from said chest and adapted upon the rotation of the chest to be successively supplied with water and steam from said valve andchest, respectively, and means for movably retaining a can in position to receive the water and steam that successively issue from said third pipe.

9. In a can cleaning machine, the combination with a rotatable chest having 0 en ings therethrough, and a valve in said c rest adapted to successively cover and uncover said openings during the rotation of the chest. of a series of pipes carried by said chest and communicating therewith through said openings, means for movably supporting a series of cans opposite. the outer ends of said pipes and with said ends projecting into said cans, means for supplying a fluid to said chest-and to such of the pipes as have their connections with the interior of the chestbination with a rotatable chest having openings therethrough, and a valve in said chest adapted to successively cover and uncover said openings during the rotation of the from said 0 est, said guide having raised portions to hold the cans that are opposite the other pipes awayfrom such other pipes,

means for moving the cans on said guide and means for supplying a fluid t0 the chest and pipes. p

11. In acan cleaning machine, the combination with a rotatable chest, means for supplying a fluid thereto, and a series of pipes communicating with the chest and projecting radially therefrom, of a curved stationary can sup ort adapted to sustain and guide a series 0 .cans opposite said pipes,

and arms connected with said chest adapted to abut against thecans and move them on said stationary can support.

12. In a can cleaning machine, the combination with a rotatable chest,means' for and gui supplying a fluid thereto, 'and a series of. pipes commhnicatingwith the chest and" projecting radially therefrom, of a curved stationary can support adapted to sustain a series of cans opposite said pi es, arms connected with said chest adapte to abut against said cans and move them on said statlonary can support, and blocks also connected with said chest and adjustable radially nearer to or farther from said chest.

13. In a can cleaning machine, the com bination with a can guide adapted to movably support a series of cans, means for moving said cans along said support, a chute connected with said support, and means for turning the cans end for end as they approach the chute whereby each can Wlll pass through the chute with that end uppermost which had previously rested on the said can support.

14. In a can cleaning machine, the combination with a can guide adapted to movably su port a series of cans, means for moving said cans along said support, a chute connected with said sup ort, an obstruction near the edge of the c ute ada ted to be contacted by the lower portion 0 each can,

and means for turning each canover said obstruction to cause it 'to pass through the chute with that end uppermost which had previously rested on the said can support.

, JOHN M. C. JONES.

Witnessesf i ALBERT H. ADAMS,

WrLLIAM, H. DE BUSK. 

